Kidney failure occurs when your kidneys lose their ability to sufficiently filter waste from your blood. If your kidneys aren’t able to function properly, your body becomes overloaded with toxins. This can lead to kidney failure, which can be life threatening if left untreated.

Early stage kidney failure often doesn’t cause noticeable symptoms. As many as 90 percent of people with chronic kidney disease don’t know they have it. As kidney disease progresses, possible symptoms may include:

•a reduced amount of urine

•swelling of your legs, ankles, and feet from retention of fluids caused by the failure of the kidneys to eliminate water waste

•unexplained shortness of breath

•excessive drowsiness or fatigue

•persistent nausea

• Food tastes like metal

  Why this happens:

  A build-up of wastes in the blood (called uremia) can make food taste different and cause bad breath. You may also notice that you stop liking to eat meat, or that you are losing weight because you just don’t feel like eating.

  What patients said:

   Foul taste in your mouth. Almost like you’re drinking iron.

   I don’t have the appetite I had before I started dialysis, I must have lost about 10 pounds.

• Ammonia breath

  Why this happens:

  A build-up of wastes in the blood (called uremia) can cause bad breath.

  What patients said:

   My husband always tells me I have fish breath.

   Sometimes my breath smells like urine and I need to brush my teeth more often.

•  Upset stomach, nausea, vomiting

  Why this happens:

  A severe build-up of wastes in the blood (uremia) can also cause nausea and vomiting. Loss of appetite can lead to weight loss.

  What patients said:

   I had a lot of itching, and I was nauseated, throwing up all the time. I couldn’t keep anything down in my stomach.

   When I got the nausea, I couldn’t eat and I had a hard time taking my blood pressure pills.

• Getting up during the night to make urine

  Why this happens:

  Kidneys make urine, so when the kidneys are failing, the urine may change. How?

  • You may urinate more often, or in greater amounts than usual, with pale urine.
  • You may feel pressure or have difficulty urinating.

  What patients said:

   My urine is what I had started noticing. Then I was frequently going to the bathroom, and when I got there, nothing’s happening. You think, ‘Hey, I’ve got to go to the john,’ and you get there, 2 or 3 drops.

   I would get up two or three times at night and had lots of pressure each time.

• Foamy or bubbly urine

  Why this happens:

  Kidneys make urine, so when the kidneys are failing, the urine may change. How?

  • Urine may be foamy or bubbly.
  • This can lead to an above-normal amount of protein in the urine.

  What patients said:

   The bowl would be filled with bubbles.

   Sometimes I would notice my urine being very foamy, so I made an appointment with the doctor.

• Brown, red, or purple urine

  Why this happens:

  Kidneys make urine, so when the kidneys are failing, the urine may change. How?

  • You may urinate less often, or in smaller amounts than usual, with dark-colored urine.
  • Your urine may contain blood.

  What patients said:

   I was passing blood in my urine. It was so dark it looked like grape Kool-Aid. And when I went to the hospital they thought I was lying about what color it was.

   I thought I had a urinary infection when I first saw blood in my urine.

• Pressure when you make urine

  Why this happens:

  Kidneys make urine, so when the kidneys are failing, the urine may change. How?

  • You may feel pressure or have difficulty urinating.

  Consult Our Nephrologist Dr. Bishal Agarwalla